According to Julie Miller at the Library of Congress, Benjamin West first related this remark to a friend. He claimed that the King of England had told him during a portrait sitting that Washington was the “greatest man”.
Was Benjamin West a reliable source? Well, Artist West was born in Pennsylvania in 1738 and settled in England in 1763, after having studied art in Italy. According to the Getty Museum, he was the first American artist to attain an international reputation. https://www.getty.edu/art/collection/person/103K1S He was the first painter to depict contemporary events in contemporary dress, rather than in ancient costume.
King George III was impressed. And even though he was an American, King George appointed West to be “Historical Painter to His Majesty.” West also became a founder of the Royal Academy of Art and one of its earliest Presidents.
When the Revolutionary War started, West was in a delicate position… especially because he sympathized with the revolutionaries. He kept his opinions to himself during King George’s many sittings. Historically, we have two versions of a conversation that West had with the King.
“Greatest Man in the World”?
The first version is found in artist Joseph Farington’s journal. He was a friend to Benjamin West and was recalling a conversation they had about seventeen years earlier. In an entry dated, 12-28-1799, he stated that toward the end of the Revolutionary War, “the king began to talk abt. America”. He wrote that the King asked West what Washington would do if America were declared Independent.
“West said He believed He would retire to a private situation.–The King said if he did he would be the greatest man in the world.” Historians are not sure what prompted Farington to recall the conversation, and write it down so much later. It could not have been Washington’s death, on the 14th of that month because the news was unlikely to have reached England that quickly. [https://candlecreek.com/about-candle-creek/ (Scroll down!)]
“Greatest Character of the Age”?
Another source for the story is from Rufus King, American Ambassador to Great Britain, who also kept a journal. In a memo, published simultaneously with his journal, he also recalled a conversation with Benjamin West. At the Royal Academy after dinner one night in May, 1797, West noted that during this time since the end of the war, relations between the two countries had softened. He told the Ambassador that the King was now able to say nice things about America.
Rufus King related that when West told the King that Washington had just declined to run for a third term as president, the King replied a little cryptically. The Ambassador recorded: “that act closing and finishing what had gone before and viewed in connection with it, placed him [Washington] in a light the most distinguished of any man living, and that he thought him the greatest character of the age.” In this account, the memory is not related to the Revolutionary War, but to the presidency.
Can You Evaluate a Primary Source?
Both Rufus King and Joseph Farington might have mis-remembered, or misheard the story that West conveyed. However, Miller points out that the fact that West told the story twice, in completely different circumstances, allows us to conclude that the memory was an important one for him. https://blogs.loc.gov/manuscripts/2022/12/george-washington-the-greatest-man-in-the-world/
Moreover, although the King’s remark was couched in different events, the King’s judgement about Washington was fundamentally the same.
Having the same information, from two reliable sources is the basis of sound historical knowledge. Facts. Corroborated. Can be believed. Even though the exact words will never be known.
A Penny for Your Thoughts?